Cheap Living Tips » cheapliving, living on less » Any good ideas for saving money and living on less?
Any good ideas for saving money and living on less?
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The following recommendations come from Wordpress Answers:
Start with clearly pointing out your NEEDS from your WANTS.
-Food = Need (Not eating out, not $9.00/lb steaks)
-Shelter = Need (Not resort-like living
-Clothes = Need (Not Versace or other moronic big brand that sucks your money in)
-Transportation = Need (Not a 2009 BMW)Get my drift?
-Netflix = Want
-Directv = Want (If you can spend $20/month with Netflix, then it is good)
-Starbucks = Want -Bar Tabs = Want -Eating Out = Want (Suppress to about once every two weeks)
-Rims = Want -Plasma/LCD HDTVs = Want (Get a Slim RP, just as good and cheaper)
-Drive to close shops = Want (Walk a little, it’s healthy) XM Radio = Want (this is the dumbest way to lose your money)
-A/C below 78 F in the Summer = Want (You can relax at 78 with no problems)
-Premium OJ = Want (Buy some limes, 5 for a buck, and make limeade)
-iPhone/iTouch 8Gb = Want (You can get a iPod Classic w/ 160GB for less money
-Clubbing = Want (Quickest way to blow $300 – $500 per weekend, dumb… dumb)
-Shoes (Women) = Want (How many shoes do you need? In women, this is the most expensive bill and anti-savings attack)SAVING TIPS
-Create a bill (your name) and pay yourself every month, start with $100 per month and increase as money permits
-Enroll in your employer’s 401k, they will match some money, it’s free money
-Enroll with your employer’s tuition reimbursement and get more education, this is the best way to enhance your income and you have to pay nothing
-Create a budget, then goals and do your best to meet them
-When vacationing, take a cruise instead. Everything is included and you see and enjoy more.
-Sell the stuff you don’t use anymore on Craigslist.com, over 90% of the transactions are local and in cash (Forget eBay, they got to bloody greedy)
-Keep your credit cards under 25% of their credit limit, this enhances your credit rating, resulting in better deals when getting cars or homes -Learn to do things yourself (Change car oil, save $20; lay out tile, save $300 – $500; change car brakes, save $100; ironing your clothes, save $30 – $100 per month; etc)
-Shop around for car insurance, Progressive has really good rates -Get an online savings account, returning around 3% on average, as opposed to the brick-and-mortar banks’ average of 0.25% (insulting, in my opinion)
Have fun and be safe
Filed under: cheapliving, living on less · Tags: cheap living tips, frugal living, living on less, surviving the economic crisis
9 Responses to "Any good ideas for saving money and living on less?"
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Xin Lu on Wisebread
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Money Matters
I’m opting for moving to someplace where the life style is simpler and the cost of living is lower. I think Baja is answer for me.
Cut the big expenses and food cost. Also look at each budget item and see if you can cut it like deductibles on insurance.
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Look at you monthly spending, see which items can be reduced (e.g. gas expenses) or eliminated entirely if you can live without them (e.g. cable TV). When deciding whether to buy something, first ask yourself whether you really need it, do you really need it now, and if you do – whether you can buy it used. The list goes on and on, everyone is different in what they truly "need".
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try cutting things out of your life that are not necessary also when you can walk somewhere or ride a bike do that it will save you money on gas. you can also try to clip coupons. little things like that will add up.
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have money taken automatically out of your account the same day you get paid. That way you never miss the money you are saving
References :
Start with clearly pointing out your NEEDS from your WANTS.
-Food = Need (Not eating out, not $9.00/lb steaks)
-Shelter = Need (Not resort-like living)
-Clothes = Need (Not Versace or other moronic big brand that sucks your money in)
-Transportation = Need (Not a 2009 BMW)
Get my drift?
-Netflix = Want
-Directv = Want (If you can spend $20/month with Netflix, then it is good)
-Starbucks = Want
-Bar Tabs = Want
-Eating Out = Want (Suppress to about once every two weeks)
-Rims = Want
-Plasma/LCD HDTVs = Want (Get a Slim RP, just as good and cheaper)
-Drive to close shops = Want (Walk a little, it's healthy)
XM Radio = Want (this is the dumbest way to lose your money)
-A/C below 78 F in the Summer = Want (You can relax at 78 with no problems)
-Premium OJ = Want (Buy some limes, 5 for a buck, and make limeade)
-iPhone/iTouch 8Gb = Want (You can get a iPod Classic w/ 160GB for less money
-Clubbing = Want (Quickest way to blow $300 – $500 per weekend, dumb… dumb)
-Shoes (Women) = Want (How many shoes do you need? In women, this is the most expensive bill and anti-savings attack)
SAVING TIPS
-Create a bill (your name) and pay yourself every month, start with $100 per month and increase as money permits
-Enroll in your employer's 401k, they will match some money, it's free money
-Enroll with your employer's tuition reimbursement and get more education, this is the best way to enhance your income and you have to pay nothing
-Create a budget, then goals and do your best to meet them
-When vacationing, take a cruise instead. Everything is included and you see and enjoy more.
-Sell the stuff you don't use anymore on Craigslist.com, over 90% of the transactions are local and in cash (Forget eBay, they got to bloody greedy)
-Keep your credit cards under 25% of their credit limit, this enhances your credit rating, resulting in better deals when getting cars or homes
-Learn to do things yourself (Change car oil, save $20; lay out tile, save $300 – $500; change car brakes, save $100; ironing your clothes, save $30 – $100 per month; etc)
-Shop around for car insurance, Progressive has really good rates
-Get an online savings account, returning around 3% on average, as opposed to the brick-and-mortar banks' average of 0.25% (insulting, in my opinion)
Have fun and be safe
References :
Yah,
buy in bulk
never ever pay full price for things you need or want
save up cash to buy things
don't take on credit, unless it is to build your report, then cut 'um up, quick!!
save a little out of every paycheck and put into a savings account that you DO NOT TOUCH
References :
buy food/necessities in bulk, and automatically put 10% of your paycheck into a savings account that you're not allowed to touch, or forbid yourself to touch. there are a lot of online savings like e-trade or ING direct, those are the cheapest/easiest (no minimum, no fees, but low-decent interest rates), and there are others out there (do a search) with higher interest rates available, but they require at least 5-10k minimum for the most part. also.. stay at home, rewatch dvds you haven't seen in a while, and eat at home! have potluck dinners and/or workout at home.
good luck!
References :
doing the same on my end.. working pretty well.
The best one that I can think of is to use the library. You will find alot of books and magazine articles that approach your topic of interest and they are free. There are many publications that can offer you advice on things that will and won't work for your lifestyle. Only YOU know the difference. Compare wants and needs. Compare price and value. Use cash instead of credit. Clip coupons. Investigate all tax shelters that you qualify for.
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